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The sun, which should have been at its zenith, had just begun to tilt when Setsuna's face grew heavy with sorrow, standing before a group of people who looked as though they'd been driven from their homes by fire.
It hadn't been long since he'd successfully escaped the forest. Taking the beast trail had been the right choice. No encounters with the dreaded Imperial Beasts, no troubles to speak of. It had taken time, and his legs ached, but that was all.
Beyond the forest stretched a vast expanse of earth and sky, dazzling in its radiant glory. The air was crisp, the breeze gentle unlike anything he'd felt in the dense woods. Overwhelmed by the endless horizon and the vibrant azure filling the heavens, Setsuna's heart lifted, freed from the stifling confines of the city he'd grown up in.
Everything felt new. The sky, the sun, the clouds, the grass, the trees even the pebbles seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly charm.
Azmaria Artemax, the one who'd summoned him to this world and then abandoned him, barely crossed his mind anymore.
Soon, he reached a road a simple path running alongside the forest where he'd been summoned. It wasn't paved, just a strip of bare earth where grass had been cleared and trampled over time. No weeds grew here, unlike the forest's beast trails. It was modest but functional.
Strange stone pillars dotted the roadside, not quite guardrails but perhaps markers separating the road from the plains.
And there, by one of those pillars, they stood a group of dozens, men and women, young and old. "Charred" wasn't far from the truth to describe them. Setsuna's limited vocabulary couldn't conjure a better word. Their clothes were singed, their faces etched with despair.
This was his first encounter with the people of this world, aside from Azmaria. Yet he felt no tension. If he could understand Azmaria, there was no reason he couldn't communicate with them. Still, a nagging doubt lingered. This was another world, with unfamiliar races and languages. Why, then, did they speak his tongue Japanese? Why did he understand theirs? It was convenient, but it didn't sit right.
Pushing the unease aside, Setsuna spoke to them.
He didn't know why he chose those words. Perhaps their plight was too pitiful. Even so, he could've said something kinder. Regret came too late to take it back.
"…Are you alright?"
The voice that answered was unexpected—an elderly man, his tone laced with concern that mirrored Setsuna's own. He was of average build, unremarkable save for his scorched clothes, looking as though he'd just fled a blaze. Not just him. A young boy peeking from behind him, a curious woman watching Setsuna, a weary youth with his head bowed nearly all bore the marks of fire.
"Uh, well…"
Prompted by the man, Setsuna glanced at himself. His school uniform was tattered from the fight with the Imperial Beast, a bandage wrapped around his left thigh. To an outsider, he might look worse off than they did.
The pain in his thigh had dulled, though it hadn't healed. Each step sent a faint throb through him, but it was bearable. He'd made it this far.
"I'm fine," he said.
"You don't look it," the old man replied, his face creased with worry.
Setsuna's heart warmed at the man's kindness. These people were clearly in dire straits, yet here was this stranger fretting over him. They spoke Japanese, too. How? He couldn't fathom it, but perhaps this region used his language.
"Don't worry about me," Setsuna said, trying to ease the man's concern. "I just took down an Imperial Beast, after all."
He meant to reassure, but his words sparked a stir—not hostility, but murmurs rippling through the crowd.
"An Imperial Beast…?"
"A kid like him?"
"Without weapons?"
"No way, right?"
Setsuna faltered as they huddled, whispering. He shouldn't have mentioned the beast. To these people, the creatures of this world monsters from another realm must be terrifying. Even if they were mere fodder before his black spear, to ordinary folk, they were a menace.
"Is that true?" the old man asked.
"Uh… yeah," Setsuna admitted.
"You don't seem like a liar, but it's hard to believe," the man said, breaking into a warm, honest smile.
Setsuna's face softened, but the sight of the others sobered him. No visible wounds marred their bodies just singed clothes and hair. Yet their eyes trembled with fear. They'd endured something horrific.
"What happened?" he asked.
The old man's gaze dropped, his silence heavy. He didn't want to answer—or perhaps didn't want to relive it. Setsuna cursed himself for asking. He shouldn't have pried, shouldn't have forced them to recall their pain.
"The town burned!"
A young girl, barely ten, shouted the words. She'd been hiding behind a woman likely her mother peeking at Setsuna with timid eyes. Now, she stood close, her voice fierce despite her fear.
"It just… burst into red flames!"
Setsuna crouched to meet her gaze. Her face was rigid with terror, yet she pressed on, as if reliving the blazing town. Her eyes wavered, and Setsuna's chest tightened. Such fear had scarred even this child's heart.
"The town… burned?" he echoed softly.
The girl nodded, tears welling but held back by sheer will. She stared at Setsuna, her reason for speaking unclear but her words striking deep.
"It's as she says," the old man spoke up. "Our town was set ablaze. Don't know why doesn't matter. It's gone."
"It was a man," a woman added. "An armed summoner, no doubt."
"My house burned too…" a boy whimpered.
As their grief poured out, Setsuna rose quietly. He reached to pat the girl's head but stopped—his touch might only scare her more. The woman, perhaps her mother, stepped forward and enveloped the girl in a fierce yet gentle embrace.
Setsuna turned back to the old man.
"We escaped with nothing," the man said. "Couldn't stay in Karan. We're headed to Creboul."
"Karan? Creboul?" Setsuna repeated.
"You're not from Creboul?" The man frowned. "Thought you came from the south."
"Uh, yeah, that's right," Setsuna said vaguely, dodging the truth. He couldn't tell them he was summoned here they'd think him mad. He didn't want to lose this fragile connection with the first humans he'd met.
From the man's words, Creboul lay south along this road, meaning Karan was north. Karan had been burned by a man an armed summoner, like Setsuna or Azmaria, wielding summoned weapons.
His gaze fell on the girl, now sobbing in her mother's arms, her resolve shattered. Her cries pierced him. His fists clenched, nails biting into his palms, but he didn't care. Blood tinged his tongue he'd bitten his lip.
What was this feeling? Anger? Righteous fury? He hadn't known he could feel this way, discovering a new side of himself.
He wanted to erase the girl's fear. The urge consumed him, leaving no room for hesitation.
His destination was clear.
"You alright, lad?" the old man asked, noticing his shift.
"I'm fine," Setsuna said, forcing a smile. His eyes didn't match it he had no energy for pretense.
Glancing around to avoid the man's concern, he noticed a woman among the group, sitting by a pillar. Unlike the others, she bore no signs of fire or sorrow. Her glossy black hair gleamed, striking against the desolation.
Their eyes met. Her gray gaze held no emotion, but for a fleeting moment, she seemed startled. Or was it his imagination? The next instant, she offered a radiant smile, almost too perfect.
Setsuna nodded lightly, unbothered, and turned back to the old man.
"Thanks for telling me everything."
"Hm?" The man looked puzzled.
Setsuna gave a wry inner smile. He'd shared nothing about himself, and that was fine. Better to keep his distance. His path led to the burning town.
"Goodbye," he said.
"Hey, where?" the old man called after him.
Setsuna was already walking, not looking back.
"To Karan!" he shouted.
Karan. He'd find the man who burned it and bring him down. Nothing else would quell this rage. It didn't matter if the man wielded a summoned weapon capable of razing a town. Setsuna had his own the black spear that had crushed a horde of Imperial Beasts. He wouldn't lose.
A voice called from behind.
"Karan's the other way!"
Setsuna tripped, mortified.