Year 284 of the Imperial Calendar
Red Moon's Day, Spiritweek, Third Month of Spring
Borderlands of Krohmea, A nameless forest

I woke up to in my bed, sweating from the heat. It wasn’t even summer, yet, I was drenched to the core. With the unbearable heat boring down on me, there was no way I could continue sleeping. Though, neither could I get up, right now.

Haaa… How troublesome…

On my right was a beautiful young girl, hugging my arm. On my left, was another adorable girl, curled up but so close that the slightest movement from me would likely shake her awake. This certainly wasn’t how I expected to wake up this morning. But it sure explained why it was so hot. 

Wait, there’s one missing…

Scanning the surroundings for the third girl, I quickly found her comfortably asleep at the other end of the bed. Smart, staying away from these two…

Looks like I got to stay like this for a while…

I let out a sigh in resignation. Just yesterday, our comrade Marim had passed away. It was hard. For all of us. It might not have been uncommon in our line of work but it gnawed away at you nonetheless. Every single death you witnessed slowly eroded your own self.

Someone once likened it to standing in a barrel and every single death was akin mug of black sludge poured into it. It would slowly raise higher, until it fully engulfed and suffocated you. I was inclined to agree, Even if I couldn’t tell them that anymore. They, too, left us for a better place.

Stop those dreary thoughts in the morning… If the Priest Maiden heard me, she’d start nagging again.

Said Priest Maiden was currently occupying my arm, though. Even I didn’t have the heart to tell her not to sleep here. So it came that the Priest Maiden and those two girls occupied my bed. Though, it had recently become the bed of those two girls anyway, rather than my own one.

“Mm…”

While I was letting my thoughts wander, the Priest Maiden stirred and slowly opened her eyes.

“Mm… Mh?”

Her eyes darted around the room a little, before finally settling on me. After staring some few seconds at me, she looked down at herself, then back at me.

“Oh my.”
“Nothing happened, before you get a wrong idea.”
“Too bad.”

She sat up and looked around, spotting Lily next to me.

“You’re a sinful man.”
“Then you should better stay away from me.”
“But maybe I’m a sinful woman?”
“As a Priest Maiden?”

She chuckled, before lying down again next to me.

“Even a Priest Maiden is only a person in the end.”
“Huh.”
“Are you ignoring me?”
“I’m not.”

She pouted and hugged my arm again.

“You’re mean today.”
“... You should stop.”
“...”
“... I mean it.”
“You really are mean.”

Her expression fell, and she quickly hid her face behind my arm.

“Sorry,” she whispered.
“There’s nothing to apologise for. You did all you could.”
“...”
“The Lord of War simply deemed that it was time for him to leave us.”
“...”

I cautiously moved my free hand and patted her head, gently stroking it. Her embrace around my arm tightened and I could feel something wet soaking into my shirt. Something that wasn’t my sweat. Even then, I kept stroking her head.

Haa… Even though you’re far older than I am…  You’re like a child yourself…

My eyes were fixed towards the ceiling as I inwardly sighed. She really was a piece of work sometimes. But I didn’t mind. I was used to it.

After all, this happened every time.

---

Once the sun had risen proper, we woke up Lily and Yumias and got up. Neither the Priest Maiden nor I mentioned what had happened earlier. We pretended it never had.

After we had breakfast, I did my rounds around our impromptu camp. The barricades we had erected were still standing. A few men stood guard as they did their best to not fall asleep. Through a gap in the barricade came a group of four familiar mercenaries. Just the people I was looking for.

“Rolan!”
“Ah, Captain!”

The four men, Rolan and his squad, saluted immediately upon spotting me.

“Any news?”
“No, Captain! No signs of the orcs returning.”
“I see. Good work. Continue to keep an eye out for now.”
“Yes, Captain!”

Those green bastards leaving was a good sign for us. While there was a small desire in me to get back at them, the safety of the band had priority. We weren’t nearly enough men to fight that horde without good preparations. To add to that, this terrain was disadvantageous to us.

That noble swine better not show his face ever again in front of me. Actually, wait a second…
“Rolan. What is in the direction the orcs heading to again?”
“The direction? Beyond the forest? There should be several mountains there.”
“Mountains…”

I hadn’t heard of any mining operations in this territory but that didn’t mean they didn’t exist either. There could also be ruins hidden there. But the horde we had clashed with was large. At the very least several hundred of them. Maybe even in the thousands. What point could there be in chasing after ruins or mining tunnels?

“Haaa… No good, I have no idea…”
“Captain, if you sigh so much, your life’s blessings will escape.”
“... Have I been sighing that much?”
“Yes.”

Really? It probably had to be bad if Rolan of all people pointed it out…

Maybe I really need a break. All this captain’s business doesn’t suit me, does it?

But I was their captain. And having them see me sighing all the time made me a failure as a captain. I had to keep it in in the future.

“I’ll take note of it. You should take a break for now.”
“Yes, Captain!”

The four men saluted and went away. They seemed quite relieved that they got a break.

Wish I could take one, too.

But there were things I had to do. First of all, we had to return to the former Northerlands. There was no point in returning to that slime of a noble. The job was over. And while I didn’t know what the orcs were looking for, it probably was something that lordling didn’t want to part with. It was quite possible that he had his retribution already coming for him.

“Haa… Ah. I did it again, huh…”

I shook my head and returned back to my tent, thinking about our next step and the near future. When I pulled the curtain aside, I immediately froze. A small girl stood there, staring right into my eyes.

“Err,... Lily?”
“...”

She just stood there, staring. Her mouth opened a little, then closed again, as if she was trying to say something. After a while, I finally could hear her say something, albeit it was more of a whisper.

“... Pa… pa?”
“...”

What did she say? Papa? That was an intimate way to call one’s father. It was a rare address in the western half of the continent but I had heard the demonkin in Aldreigh often used it. This girl wasn’t a demonkin, though. Neither was I her father.

“Uhhh…”

The girl in question blushed, her face so red it might start a fire. Then, she turned on her heels and dashed away, jumping into the arms of the person standing in the back of the tent.

“You did a good job, Lily.”
“Did… Did I?”
“Yes. Ehehe.”

She was patting Lily’s head and praising her for a job well done. Only now did my mind slowly catch up with what was happening.

“Priest Maiden… What are you putting into her head?”
“Oh? So you didn’t like it?”
“... Whether I do or not, it’s only going to be a problem later.”

After all, if they got too attached to us, it’d be hard for them if we left them in Lafria.

“So stiff. Listen, Lily, if you want him to accept you, you need to keep at it. Men like him are weak to pressure, after all, so you just need to keep calling him. And once he does, we’re all going to be a wonderful big family.”
“... Mm.”
“You…”

Lily nodded weakly, still in the Priest Maiden’s embrace. Rather than mother and daughter, they seemed to look more like sisters with a rather big age gap. The sight warmed my heart a little.

“Look, he’s smiling! The wall is already crumbling down.”
“Priest Maiden…”

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, to keep the coming headache at bay. She had always been rather aggressive but since Lily and Yumias had joined us, it had only gotten worse. That was how it felt like, at least. Unfortunately, I also knew that humouring her would only result in her getting her hopes up.

“Whatever… Priest Maiden, I’d like to speak with you for a moment.”
“... Lily, could you leave the two of us alone for a little?”

The little girl looked up at the Priest Maiden, then at me and back to her. Then, she nodded, and slowly let go.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be right back with you, okay?”
“Mm.”
“Off you go. If you’re a good girl, you can have a candy later.”
“Mm!”

Then, Lily dashed past me out of the tent.

“... You’ve taken quite a shine on those two.”
“Ehehe. They’re adorable. Especially Lily. She’s so innocent. Her family must have been really good to her.”
“... Then why was she even out there?”
“I don’t know for sure but…”
“But?”

Did she actually know something?

“Did they tell you something?”
“No. At least, not directly. I tried to get something out of them, though. There’s a good chance their caravan was attacked and the two got lost during the skirmish…”
“... Bandits?”
“I don’t know. Like I said, I didn’t get much from them. Lily was reluctant to say anything. Or more like, she can’t.”
“She can’t?”
“... She doesn’t remember.”

She didn’t remember it? What the heck?

“Her memory seems more than just a little spotty. It… might be a trauma. She barely remembers anything specific from before she and Yumias wandered the forest.”
“... I see. What about Yumias?”
“That girl… she straight-up told me she wouldn’t tell me. It doesn’t seem to me that trust is the issue… I don’t know. That girl… She’s beyond weird. Captain, might I… say something that sounds a little crazy?”
“Can’t be much worse than things already are. Go ahead.”

At this point, there’s little that could actually shock me anymore.

“Her mannerisms, the way she talks. The more I try to get to know her, the more I feel that I am not talking with a child. She’s more like Lily’s caretaker. If you told me that she was actually an elfen girl, hundreds of years old, I might actually believe you.”
“... You think she’s not a child?”
“Yes…”

Not a child… She was admittedly weird. I had never seen a child as odd as she was, that much was true. But…

“... I understand. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“... You don’t believe me?”
“It’s not that I don’t. But you’re not sure about it, either. Right?”
“Yes…”
“Then, all we’re doing is merely speculation.”

I shrugged my shoulders. I could understand where she was coming from, but the simply facto f the matter was that we didn’t know anything about her.

“Speculation… Ehehe, you’re right. It’s just speculation.”
“Mh?”
“Sorry, Captain. You’re right, I shouldn’t judge her based on mere speculation.”
“Don’t worry. And I never said to forget it. Being careful is fine. That we can only speculate is already reason enough to be careful.”
“I understand. I’ll take care.”
“Mm.”

She smiled a little. Maybe that had helped her sort out her feelings. I’d be happy if it did.

“Speaking of Yumias, where is she?”
“Ahh… When I was asking Lily if she’d want us to be her parents, she suddenly disappeared… I haven’t seen her since.”
“I see. I’ll keep an eye out for her. It’d be trouble if she got lost now.”
“I somehow can’t imagine her being lost…”

Neither could I but I just made a point earlier about how we shouldn’t rely too much on speculation. She might really be lost.

“Also, since you already breached the topic yourself… What the heck was that about being her parents?”
“Mh? I mean, wouldn’t it be nice? You’d be her father and I’d be her mother. I know I’d love to have a daughter as cute as her.”
“Seriously… You know we are planning to bring them to Lafria, right? What you’re doing is only going to complicate everything.”
“... Hey, Captain. Do we really have to bring them there?”

She stared into my eyes. Never before had I seen such a serious look on her.

“... We’re mercenaries. A child like her shouldn’t grow up here. Our line of work has no space for children.”
“I see… And I can’t change your mind?”
“You can’t.”
“Mm…”

The Priest Maiden closed her eyes and fell silent.

“Then I guess I’ll have to make you see your error.”
“... Did you even listen to what I said?”
“Oh, I did. But it’s my role as a Priest Maiden to guide the lost souls back to the right path.”

So now I was the lost one because I wished for those two girls to live a better life?

“Do what you want…”
“I will.”

Not the assertion I wanted, right now.

“Enough about the two girls… How are the injured?”
“... They’re on their way to recovery. None of them is in acute danger anymore. Kiras is good enough to move around again, even. I nearly had to tie him to his bed this morning.”
“... That means we can move?”
“... Yes. There should be no problem with moving them.”

That was… good news. Good news… Yet, I couldn’t honestly feel happy about it.

“Are you giving up on the other four, Captain?”
“We haven’t found neither hide nor hair of them. And if they haven’t come back on their own by now…”
“... I understand.”

They had almost certainly been captured. And being an orc horde's prisoner… was a short life. A very short one.

“I will give the order to move out. Take care of everything you have to.”
“Yes, Captain.”

The sooner we left, the better. For all of us.

---

Year 284 of the Imperial Calendar
Youthful Morning's Day, Lifeweek, First Month of Summer
Borderlands of Krohmea, Northwestern coast of the Grand Spirit Lake

It had been a few days since we set out to leave Krohmea. The journey was for the most part rather uneventful, something to be thankful for. We had left the orcs completely behind and by now, we judged that there was little to no chance of encountering them again. Not that they seemed to have any interest left for us, though. With that in mind, we decided that we could finally take a small break, here at the Grand Spirit Lake.

“No matter how often I see it… It’s big.”

The lake, if you could even call it that at this size anymore, stretched to the far horizon and beyond. It was the largest lake on the known continent. Maybe even the largest in the world? It was hard to say. Either way, it was massive.

Captain! We’ve set up camp for now.”
“Good work, Griess.”
“Thank you. But are you sure about this?”
“Worried?”
“Can’t say I’m not.”

Griess peeked behind his shoulders into the distance. It had been barely a few days when we were still fighting for our lives with the orcs. But that was exactly why this was necessary.

“The orcs had other plans. That we clashed was probably only a coincidence in their eyes. If they truly cared about us, they wouldn’t have gone north. And even if they did, we’re close to a town and a major fort. The Krohmean army will have to deal with them, not us.”
“I understand that but…”
“That’s exactly why we need this break. Get your mind off all those problems.”
“Mm…”
“Why not join the others into town?”
“Well… If you’re saying that much, Captain, I guess I’ll take up that offer then.”

I nodded and slapped him on the back.

“Go and enjoy yourself.”
“Yes, Captain.”

He saluted and went his way. I watched him as he joined a few other men and they set off towards the nearby town. There probably wasn’t a need to mention what entertainment they were looking for.

“Now then…”

Aside from the ones leaving for town, plenty of them stayed here. It was a rare chance to enjoy some time off at a lake, so many of them had already stripped down to their essentials and jumped into the cold water.

“Like little children…”

As for the actual children accompanying us, though…

“A— Ah! Captain. Want to join us?”

The moment I turned around, the Priest Maiden stood behind me, her hands raised in an awkward fashion.

“What are you doing?”
“Nothing.”

Probably an attempt at surprising me. She should practise that a little more first, though. Her steps were far from silent… And even if they were, the little girl behind her was far from quiet either.

“Are you two going into the water?”
“Yes. So? Want to join us, Captain?”
“I’ll keep it at watching.”

I wasn’t quite in the mood to jump into the water, right now.

“Is that so… Lily, your turn!”
“Mh!”

As if waiting for her queue, Lily pitter-pattered to me, grabbing hold of my shirt with her small hands and looking up at me.

“Join us… Papa…”
“...”

This was… beyond unfair…

Behind Lily, the Priest Maiden was grinning, sure of her victory. And admittedly, she had all the right to be…

“I get it, I’ll join you two.”

The moment I admitted my defeat, Lily’s eyes went wide and she smiled.

“Good job, Lily! Now we can all have some fun as a family!”
“Mh!”

Family, huh…

“Speaking of which, where is Yumias again?”
“Err, she… She was right behind me, just now?”

No, she hadn’t been there the entire time.

“Lily, do you know where she is?” I asked her.
“Uh-uh.”

She shook her head. Of course, she didn’t know. What else did I expect…

“That girl really likes to disappear all the time. Just what is she doing…”

Even while I scanned our surroundings, I couldn’t find her. Even though that bright pink hair should be really obvious.

“Ah, Captain, over there.”
“Mh? There? Ah.”

The Priest Maiden pointed towards the men frolicking in the water. And right among them was that little girl with pink hair, swimming with them.

“When did she even get there…”

Well, as long as she enjoyed herself. And the men were careful enough to make sure she wouldn’t drown. Even now I saw some of them carefully moving their little racing competition closer to the beach.

“If she enjoys herself, isn’t that fine? Lily, let’s take the captain and have some fun in the water, okay?”
“Mh!”

The Priest Maiden held Lily’s hand and together, they went towards the water. I followed behind them, watching the two of them. They were both smiling.

Maybe, this isn’t so bad… If they’re happy, that’s good.

I knew that this was exactly what the Priest Maiden wanted me to think. But even if I knew about it, I couldn’t help but fall right into her trap.

Maybe this is what Dad meant with women being cunning…

I’d have to ask him next time we’d meet. Though, I had the feeling he’d also tell me to simply give up.

“Captain, what are you standing there around for?”
“... Sorry, I was lost in thought. What were you talking about?”
“What to play.”
“... Huh?”
“What we’re going to play.”

And how should I know an answer to that…

“How about you go into the water first and then discuss that?”
“Oh, that’s a good idea. Lily, let’s go and leave the blockhead behind.”
“Blockhead?” asked Lily,
“That’s what you call people like your Papa when they are ignoring a cute girl like you or me.”
“Blockhead!”
“Hey, don’t teach her weird things.”

Seriously, I didn’t want her to call me a blockhead all the time now…

“Then you should join us. What’s the point of bringing you here if you just stand there watching?”
“Yes, yes, I’m coming.”

Giving in, I joined the two of them.

“Lily, now! Take his hand!”
“Mm!”
“Huh?”

Lily’s small hand shot forth and took hold of mine. It was a tiny hand, fitting for a child. Her other hand was held by the Priest Maiden. I was a little sumped at the whole action, unable to understand the point.

“Aren’t you glad, Lily?”
“Yes!”

Apparently, holding our hands made her happy… Oh, was it because it was a family-like thing to do?

“You could have just asked…”
“And it’s a father’s duty to do those things on your own. Stop complaining.”
“I’m not… Uhh…”
“Mh?”

I couldn’t say that I wasn’t Lily’s father with Lily right next to me…

“Hehe, Captain, you should just admit your defeat already.”
“I won’t.”
“Stubborn as always.”

I shrugged my shoulders, not even bothering to reply anymore. Maybe I really was just stubborn…

“That aside, let’s get into the water, shall we?”
“I don’t mind but… Priest Maiden, are you sure you’re going to be fine in that get-up?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve taken all necessary preparations.”
“If you’re sure about that…”

She wasn’t wearing her usual Priest Maiden clothes but just a simple shirt and trousers. It didn’t seem like it’d protect her dignity at all once it’d get wet, though.

“Now, Lily, let’s count to three and then we’re going to jump in, okay?”
“Mm!”
“Then, Ooone!”

The Priest Maiden swung her arm, a little in the rhythm of her counting. She looked at me, then towards my arm.

“Twoooo.”

Since she seemed to want me to join in, I copied her, swinging my arm in the rhythm.

“Threeee! Yay!”
“Wah!”

With the third count, we gently pulled Lily up and into the water. There was a big smile on her face as she fell into the water.

“It’s cold!”
“Ahaha, it is, isn’t it?”

Yes, the water was indeed cold, despite it being summer. But it was a gentle cold. Something you’d get used to soon enough.

“Come, Captain. The water feels good.”
“Yes, yes. Woah?!”

A splash of water flew straight into my face. Two voices were giggling as they watched my drenched face.

“You little… Take that!”
“Woah!”
“Wah!”

The two of them, having anticipated a counterattack, dived to the side, evading the splash of water I sent to them.

“Don’t underestimate me, you two. If we’re going to do this, I won’t show any mercy to you.”
“Ohh? Is that a challenge, Captain?”
“A challenge? No, I was merely stating a fact.”
“Bold words coming from the one who got hit first.”
“It won’t happen again. Don’t worry.”

I had my pride as a mercenary captain to defend, after all.

“There!”
“Woah! Then, take this!”
“Hahaha, you’ll have to try better! Like this!”
“”Ahh?!”

After a few splashing exchanges, the Priest Maiden finally failed to dodge, taking the water straight into her face and drenching her from top to bottom.

“Ahh, cold! So cold!”

To my surprise, the clothes she wore were quite thick. She really had made sure to protect her dignity. That was good. It’d be only trouble of the men saw her in an unlady-like state.

“Oh, Captain. Are you disappointed?”
“About what?”
“My clothes. You’ve been looking so intently.”
“Stop the jokes.”
“Hehe, I wouldn’t…”

I held up my hand, prompting her to stop.

“I got it, I’ll stop the teasing.”
“Thanks.”
“But I’ll take my revenge in turn?”
“Huh?”

Before I could ask what she meant by that, there was a cute yelp coming from behind me, together with the sensation of water drenching my back.

“Seems even a trained mercenary captain can let down his guard sometimes. Good job, Lily. We won!””
“Yay!”

Yes, this was… my own fault, huh… I walked straight into that one. Again.

“You two are really…”
“Yes?”
“... Nothing. Take this.”
“Woah.”

In an attempt to hide that bit of annoyance I felt, I send another splash to the Priest Maiden.

“That was unfair.”
“That’s rich coming from you.”
“Mm, I’ll show you!”
“Come at me, then!”

The three of us played around, splashing each other with water until we all were thoroughly drenched. It was… Yes, I had to admit, it was quite fun.

“Mm?”
“Captain? Something wrong?”
“No… It’s nothing.”

I had thought for a moment that Yumias was looking over here… but apparently she wasn’t. She was still playing around with the others.

“Stop being distracted.”
“Woah?!”
“Learnt your lesson?”
“Priest Maiden… Take that!”
“Wah!”

If she wanted to join us, she’d surely come over at some point. There wasn’t any point in worrying right now. I just… wanted to enjoy this rare moment of peace.