Chapter 308 - Premonition of a Storm
This is a side story from the main plot, "Episode 13: Ninetiana 1."
It serves as a sort of prequel.
"Oh. Mr. Diego!"
"Gah, a monk...."
When Diego returned from the forest, a single child ran up to him.
Before the child could say anything, Diego scratched his head with a rasping sound and got in first.
"Ah... I have to go talk to the Village Head now."
"............And after that?"
The child pressed on with a somewhat dejected look.
"Back into the forest to continue the logging work. ...Tell the guys at the work site I'm bringing three logs now, so have them prepare."
"......Yes."
The child obediently followed Diego's orders.
Watching the child run off, Diego let out a sigh.
The western sky was dyed red, and the eastern sky was beginning to turn purple.
"Well, see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, don't be late from drinking too much."
"Good night, Diego."
After exchanging greetings with the Vigilance Committee men, Diego took his axe and headed home.
Two days had passed since the monster beast Agu Bear attacked Rish Village.
The gate in the south of the village was destroyed, and Diego and the others were going into the forest for logging to rebuild it.
His right knee, which had an old wound, throbbed painfully, but he managed to hide it and walked normally.
The old wound hurt during the battle with the Agu Bear; if he rested, the pain would subside, but if he moved, it would flare up again immediately.
It would settle down after a while, and for normal field work, the old wound wouldn't even throb anymore, but...
"......Injuries and pain are like friends."
This level of pain was a daily occurrence when he was an active adventurer.
Diego decided to retire as an adventurer because of this right knee, but it wasn't because of the pain itself.
The biggest problem was that he couldn't push himself.
It didn't matter about the pain or not, but sometimes he just couldn't put any strength into pushing himself.
His body wouldn't move as he wanted.
If that happened during a battle with monsters or monster beasts, it wouldn't just cost him his own life.
He would endanger the lives of his comrades who trusted and relied on him.
Realizing this, he decided to retire.
He arrived home and opened the front door.
Taking one step inside, he remembered he was still holding the axe.
Diego lightly turned his body and stuck his upper body out the door.
He then threw the axe at the pile of firewood, stacked before splitting, placed a short distance away.
Kakon!
With a crisp sound, the axe struck the intended firewood.
Satisfied with the result, Diego entered the house and closed the door.
"I'm home, and...."
Diego took off the sword he wore at his waist, leaned it against the wall, and called out to his wife, Ninetiana.
Ninetiana seemed to be making soup.
"Welcome back. What...? What's wrong? You look awfully tired."
Asked by Ninetiana, who turned around, Diego found himself at a loss for words.
He wasn't particularly tired.
His legs hurt, though.
"Ah... my knee."
"You're used to pain like that. That's not it."
It seemed it wasn't about the old wound pain after all.
Ninetiana furrowed her brow and tapped her fingers together.
It seemed she had furrowed her brow without him noticing.
Diego smiled bitterly and rubbed his brow.
Ninetiana was abnormally sharp.
She deduced various things from even the slightest changes in his usual gestures.
Because of that, he had never successfully hidden anything.
Of course, she didn't know the details, but she knew immediately that he was hiding something.
Then, after letting it swim for a few days, she grasped the details.
It wasn't that he had anything dark to hide, but he would get a casual snide remark later, so it was best to confess quickly.
When you thought you weren't caught and she casually brought it up later, it was really bad for the heart.
That said, he wasn't actually that tired today...
"Nothing, really...."
"......Hmm."
Ninetiana gave a half-hearted reply, but her eyes went cold.
Eyes that were probing.
Even though Ninetiana had retired as an adventurer for several years, she really hadn't changed in this regard.
"Really, there's nothing." Duru... listen to me, Ninetiana is————"
"Hey, Diego. We just put him to sleep, so don't wake him. Also, don't touch him with dirty hands. Wash your body first."
When he approached Dur, who was sleeping in the child's bed, Ninetiana scolded him.
Diego shrugged his shoulders and obediently went to wash off the sweat.
"How's the logging work going?"
When he came back from washing, dinner preparations were just finished.
As Diego and Ninetiana ate, the conversation naturally turned to today's work.
Ninetiana asked Diego, who had finished the smoked meat and vegetable soup.
"Well, isn't it going smoothly? Many aren't used to it, but they're managing somehow."
For this logging, they decided to secure a lot of timber for the future.
The Agu Bear attack had damaged not only the village gate but also some houses.
However, there were no materials to repair them.
Considering such things would happen in the future, they decided to secure timber.
They cut down trees in the forest and roughly chopped off branches that hindered transport with axes or hatchets.
They carried those trees into the village and stacked them to dry.
They reprocessed the timber originally used for the gate and directed it to house repairs for now.
The village Vigilance Committee was leading these efforts.
"I've done it before... but saying that doesn't help. We have no choice but to do it ourselves."
"That's right."
In a border settlement village, basically, you have to do everything yourself.
Repairing damaged houses is the same.
There are some who are good at such things, but not many.
They divided roles within the Vigilance Committee, had the skilled ones give instructions, and somehow got through it.
Still, if you do it a little, you get used to it.
Anyway, they had to set a schedule for the logging work quickly, or the cotton field work would stall.
Suddenly, Diego sighed, and Ninetiana made a puzzled face.
"What's wrong?"
"No... nothing. Haa...."
Diego sighed again, saying it was nothing.
While tearing the bread in his hand, Ninetiana said with exasperation:
"Hey, stop being so gloomy."
"Ah, sorry... just a bit."
"Hey, what is it?"
Prompted by Ninetiana, Diego told her what happened today.
While eating the torn bread, Ninetiana listened and burst out laughing.
"Ahahaha, are you being followed by a child? That's good. You were always feared, never liked."
"It's no laughing matter. He tried to follow me into the forest, and it's dangerous, I can't relax."
Children sometimes do dangerous things without understanding the danger.
If they get hurt, that experience will teach them, and they won't do it again.
Diego himself thought children did such reckless things.
But that was if it ended with "getting hurt."
There could be irreparable serious injuries, or things involving life.
Diego sighed again.
"He's from the Noisheim family. That little brat seems to be talking to the Vigilance Committee guys too."
"Noisheim...?"
Ninetiana tilted her head and pondered.
Since Ninetiana worked in the cotton fields, she wasn't very familiar with the people working at the factory.
"Don't you remember? Hey, a little while ago, he tried to walk to Kotontesse alone and collapsed."
"Oh... That's the one where the Factory Manager found and protected him, right?"
"Yes. His name is Mika. That kid tries to follow the logging work, or wanders around where they process the timber..."
He was a little worried he wouldn't get hurt.
"It seems he's asking about the Agu Bear incident, wondering if he'll do something else."
"Agu Bear? Why is he interested in such a monster beast again?"
"I don't know. I warned him when he tried to follow me into the forest... I gave him some vague orders to drive him off, but honestly, he's a hindrance to work and dangerous, so I didn't know what to do...."
"Hmm."
Ninetiana's eyes narrowed slightly, becoming sharper.
"That child, what kind of child was he?"
"What? Ah... They say he's seven, but he looks younger. ...Yeah, he looks like a girl no matter how you look at him."
"Looks like a girl? So, a boy?"
"Yes."
Ninetiana's eyes became sharp, reminiscent of when she was an active adventurer.
"During the Agu Bear incident... you were taking shelter in the Meeting Hall?"
"Yes. ...Speaking of which, he saw the Agu Bear at the Meeting Hall, yet he acted relatively normally afterwards. The other children were scared for a while."
Some members of the Vigilance Committee were parents with small children.
He had heard those Vigilance Committee members say that even two days after the attack, the children were still scared.
"............That child, I wonder."
Ninetiana murmured softly.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
When Diego asked, Ninetiana relaxed her expression and shook her head.
"No... nothing. Speaking of which, in Rish Village, don't they not teach children about monster beasts or monsters?"
"Yes, they rarely appear. ...One of the few good points of this village. Monster beasts rarely appear. In other lands, I've heard stories of children becoming victims occasionally."
"That's right."
This environment could truly be called blessed.
Almost no painful damage from monsters or monster beasts.
While talking about such things, they finished dinner.
Diego tried not to drink too much alcohol to consider Ninetiana's feelings.
He was accommodating to Ninetiana, who couldn't drink even if she wanted to because she was breastfeeding.
After that, Diego struggled to soothe the crying Dur, while Ninetiana watched him flustered with a smile.
Such a time of usual family gathering passed.
■■■■■■
The next day, Ninetiana took Dur for a walk around the village.
This walk itself was like a daily routine.
Duru looked at various things, saying "Ah..." or "Da..." and reaching out.
Was it the blood, or was it just any child, that their curiosity was so strong?
Thinking such things, she extended her feet to the eastern edge of the village.
For Ninetiana, who was an adventurer, walking around the village was nothing.
Well, the purpose of the walk was to show Dur the outside world, so she walked slowly.
"Was it this way...?"
When she heard the story of the collapsed child before, she remembered asking where his house was.
Ninetiana arrived at the eastern fence and then walked south.
According to the story, the Noisheim family's house should have been on the far southeast edge.
"Da..."
She picked a blooming flower and gave it to Dur, who tried to put it in his mouth.
She snatched it up quickly, and he reached out desperately.
She let him hold it again, warning him not to put it in his mouth.
Arriving at the far southeast edge, several houses were scattered about.
Each house was more than fifty meters apart, but Ninetiana circled the area.
"He's not here."
Ninetiana was good at sensing presence.
She didn't need to knock on the door and call out; she could tell if someone was home or not just by getting close.
"Nnn..."
"Good, good, good girl."
She coaxed Dur, who was starting to squirm, and shook him lightly.
Searching for this presence was surprisingly useful for parenting.
When shaking him lightly, she could tell if he felt it was pleasant or if it made him restless through his presence.
Of course, if there was an obvious cause like a wet diaper or hunger, it was different, but for slight squirming, she could put him to sleep easily.
"...He said he was wandering around the work site."
Confirming that Dur had fallen asleep in her arms, Ninetiana headed to the work site Diego had told her about.
Ninetiana was a little interested in the child who had started following Diego recently.
She thought it might be the one child she had seen at the Meeting Hall during the Agu Bear attack.
Monster beast, Agu Bear.
Even for those whose profession was fighting, like adventurers, it was a level of monster beast that made you want to run away.
Of course, they weren't an unbeatable opponent.
Though difficult one-on-one, an adventurer with a party and decent skill would have no problem.
But it was not a monster beast you could be careless about.
The roar of the Agu Bear froze the body and mind, crushing the will to stand up to it.
Its sharp claws and fangs were a threat, but more terrifying was its ridiculous arm strength and vitality.
Some villages were wiped out by just one or two Agu Bears.
The Agu Bear was such a terrifying monster beast.
Such a monster beast appeared in this Rish Village.
For ordinary people living their lives, just seeing that monster beast would make them tremble uncontrollably.
That was normal.
Foreseeing the monster beast attack, Ninetiana also decided to evacuate with Dur.
She was very anxious about leaving it to the village Vigilance Committee, but only a mother could risk her life to protect her child.
So, Ninetiana also decided to take shelter in the Meeting Hall.
When the Meeting Hall window was broken and the Agu Bear appeared, adults and children alike cried out in terror.
No one was unafraid of the roar that shook the building.
............Normally.
Just hearing the roar of the Agu Bear from afar made many people scared.
Among them, there was one strange child.
That child was observing the fear of the people around him.
Seeing the people crushed by anxiety, he seemed to understand it perfectly.
"It's scary, isn't it."
That was the same feeling as Ninetiana.
It was the same feeling as Ninetiana, who had experience facing Agu Bears and even more terrifying monsters and monster beasts.
Curious about that child, she watched him closely, and suddenly their eyes met.
There was fear in that child's eyes, but not only that.
However, something else was there.
Unfortunately, she didn't know what it was.
Ninetiana also had to soothe Dur, who was sensing unease and starting to squirm.
Then the Agu Bear came to the surroundings of the Meeting Hall, and the window glass broke.
The sight of the Agu Bear and its roar caused panic inside the Meeting Hall.
Ninetiana, while desperately soothing Dur, thought about what she should do.
The Meeting Hall was no longer safe.
So, should she run or stand her ground?
She had to choose.
While thinking, she suddenly saw something.
A child glaring at the Agu Bear with a desperate expression, even while covered by a woman who looked like a mother.
A child reaching out with his left hand, desperately trying to grab something.
Ninetiana didn't know what he was doing, but it wasn't normal.
She even worried he might shake off the woman covering him and jump at the monster beast.
Amidst the panic where adults and children alike were crying out, that one child was different.
Ninetiana clearly remembered the scene at that time.
As Ninetiana walked toward the work site, she found a child.
He was sitting on the ground a little away from the Vigilance Committee members who were working, watching.
(It really is that child from back then...)
The profile looked familiar.
Indeed, it was the child who had glared at the Agu Bear at the Meeting Hall.
He had tried to go to Kotontesse, over ten kilometers away, alone, without any preparation.
He glared without fear even at the roar of the Agu Bear.
(.........................)
To be honest, it's none of my business what happens to a child from another family.
Still, as a former adventurer, she felt she shouldn't overlook a child suffering from ignorance of the terror of monsters and monster beasts.
If you teach them, and they still approach monsters or monster beasts, then leave that fool alone.
She could understand the village's policy, but there was already a child who was dangerous not knowing.
So, teaching them was like an obligation as a former adventurer.
Ninetiana stood beside that child.
But was he lost in thought, or did he not notice Ninetiana?
(...I think his name was Mika, right?)
She felt like Diego called him that last night.
"Hello, Mika-kun."
"Eh?"
When Ninetiana called out, the child turned around with a surprised expression.
(Seeing him like this, he really does have a face like a girl.)
She thought such things.
When she saw him at the Meeting Hall, she hadn't cared much whether he was a boy or a girl.
"............I see. In that case, even if they look similar, the biological structure is completely different. Perhaps the magic stone inside the body plays some role in life activities for monster beasts."
At Ninetiana's explanation, the child crossed his arms and began to think seriously.
"............Do they have a function like lungs that perform gas exchange...? Taking in unnecessary substances and secreting necessary ones?"
He muttered something to himself.
She had only talked a little, but she felt his way of grasping things was different from ordinary children.
She could have said that from the start; the moment she met him, he probed her footsteps, and she almost thought, "Colleague?" and found it strange.
Where else would a child like this be?
At first, perhaps out of caution, he tried desperately to hide something, but a seasoned person hides the intent itself.
He was indeed a complete amateur, but he was somehow unbalanced.
She had expected this to some extent, and the child said he was interested in adventurers and monster beasts.
But it didn't quite fit.
It seemed there was a hidden intent.
Judging by the sparkle in his eyes, saying he was interested in adventurers and monster beasts didn't seem like a lie.
That said, it was difficult to probe that deeply with just a little talk here.
However, talking yielded results.
This child was curious. ————That, abnormally so.
If you didn't satisfy that desire to some extent, wouldn't he try to do something on his own?
Like heading to Kotontesse without telling anyone and without any preparation.
Ninetiana concluded so.
After talking about various things for a while, Dur woke up and started squirming.
Ninetiana ended the conversation, thinking he must be hungry.
"I'll talk to you again, so don't bother the Vigilance Committee people anymore, okay?"
After parting with that child, a presence that seemed to be probing Ninetiana came immediately.
It seemed the habit from his days as a scout who didn't make footstep sounds was bothering him.
Stopping and turning around, the child froze with a surprised face.
The sight was funny, and Ninetiana couldn't help but smile.
(...A way of grasping things unlike a child. Or rather, curiosity just like a child.)
First of all, why could he follow Ninetiana's explanation so easily?
His understanding ability was extraordinary.
The questions that came flying in frequently were also on target.
But while talking, she also found it interesting.
It was as if she was teaching a 'newbie adventurer' various things as a senior.
She started to feel that way.
The other party was still just a seven-year-old child.
(This might be a child who has done something incredible...)
Should she call it a premonition of a storm?
Ninetiana's intuition whispered.
————This child will surely do something incredible.
As Diego said, this child would surely do something someday.
She had that feeling.
On the way back, while soothing Dur, Ninetiana thought such things.
【Author's Note】
How was it?
We hinted at it in the main story and let Mika predict it, but this was the story of the reason Ninetiana became interested in the child named Mika.
There is another story I want to write; next time we plan a side story with Kifrod and Sister Radi.
This is content that was only briefly touched upon in the main story, and details were not revealed.
We would appreciate it if you could wait patiently.
Finally, a promotion.
The first volume of the book version "I Don't Believe in Gods, But I'll Pass Around [God's Miracle]" is currently on sale.
It contains newly written episodes and additional elements.
Here is the URL for the Earth Star Novel special feature page.
You can also see the beautiful illustrations by Yuu Sakuraba.
https://www.es-novel.jp/bookdetail/168kaminokiseki.php
Some bookstores may have special side stories, so please check the special feature page and purchase if you can.
Thank you very much.
Well then, everyone, see you again.
