Daily life in the Otherworld was tranquility itself, with no great changes.
From the first day onward, he began helping his father work the fields.
He tilled the soil and picked out stones.
He took only the proper amount of dried cow and sheep dung, scattered it over the soil, and tilled the field once more.
Desi's family tended a potato field.
Desi did the strenuous work, while his father planted the potatoes.
It was only ordinary work and ordinary time, but to him, it was a joy where he did not have to be ashamed of his sweat.
Whenever beads of sweat fell with a drip, drip, his father came over and held out a cloth.
＂You worked hard, Desi. Let's rest for a while.＂
He did not look at Desi, but his voice carried the scent of freshly turned soil.
It was damp, but it held the scent of life.
Beyond that, he gradually grew used to the name Desi.
Whenever a pointed-eared elf passed by, not only Orcs but humans as well stepped back to make way.
Whenever beastfolk travelers covered in animal fur passed by, he saw everyone cover their noses for no particular reason.
Along with warm freedom, species discrimination stood out.
But whenever he saw an Orc child, he smiled brightly.
He approached beastfolk and sold them potatoes.
As though discrimination had nothing to do with him.
He simply enjoyed this life to the fullest.
＂Desi!＂
While he was walking through the village plaza, a man's voice called out from behind.
It was Kan, with gray hair that fell below his shoulders.
Desi's childhood friend, and now his friend as well, Kan.
Desi waved at Kan.
＂Oh, Kan! Where are you going in a carriage? Aren't you opening the shop?＂
Kan was riding in a carriage with his father and holding out a hand.
Two carts followed behind them.
＂The supplies we ordered from the next village haven't arrived, so we're going to get them ourselves!＂
＂Busy, busy. When will you be back?＂
As Desi approached the carriage, he walked alongside it as it slowed.
Kan's hair fluttered in the wind, and he wore a gentle smile.
Born into a tavern-owning family, Kan had helped his father run the establishment since childhood.
The work did not suit his notably good looks and tall stature very well, but Kan enjoyed working in the tavern.
Making simple dishes and listening to music at drinking gatherings.
In a way, it was the kind of romance that suited Kan.
＂Probably late at night? Oh, right. I'm bringing the liquor we'll drink to celebrate becoming adults, too. There are only a few months left now.＂
He had always sung the praises of the liquor made from strange grass leaves grown in the country of the elves, calling it the best in the world. It seemed he had finally made preparations.
Desi grinned.
He was not particularly fond of alcohol.
That was why Desi had never raised a clinking glass with a friend.
Desi took three running steps and slapped Kan's palm.
＂Hurry back!＂
＂Hahaha, all right! Keep Makani company.＂
Watching the carriage and carts recede, Desi drew in a deep breath.
Everything about this world was good.
He no longer wanted to lose it.
A life where he looked forward to tomorrow was sweeter than any fragrance and more dazzling than any jewel.
.
.
.
Two days later.
Desi was sitting in the plaza from early in the morning, yawning.
The dewy morning air gave off a refreshing scent.
The reason he had come to the plaza today was that he was going to the mountains with Makani.
Their purpose was to gather medicinal herbs.
The mountains around this village were famous for their abundance of small medicinal herbs.
Makani's dream was even to open her own herb shop.
＂Hey~, Desi!＂
A girl came running from a distance.
A short girl with a roughly tied medium-length bob and a face full of freckles that, at a glance, looked cute.
＂Come on! Shall we get going now?!＂
＂Yeeah~＂
.
.
.
“Desi! Aren't you coming? If we don't gather our quota, we're not going down even when the sun sets!”
At the foot of the mountain path, Makani shouted toward him.
Despite her skinny frame and the baggage on her back, she steadily climbed the mountain path, looking down scornfully at Desi as he caught his breath.
“No, at this rate, you'll build an herb kingdom all by yourself.”
“Then you can be a servant in the kingdom.”
“Being a servant is fine. As long as I don't get exploited for labor.”
Trading light jokes like that, they climbed the mountain.
There were only two of them, but it felt lively.
Kan had originally planned to come with them, but for some reason, he had not returned since going to the next village.
They did not consider it particularly serious.
There had been many times when he returned late after buying extra alcohol or ingredients, or when he had a reason to stop by a village farther away.
The medicinal herbs were easier to find than expected.
With only a little searching, medicinal herbs with healthy roots came into their hands.
Desi, too, could now tell which herbs were useful and which were poisonous.
They decided to rest about halfway up the mountain.
A spot beneath a large tree where a cool breeze blew.
By now, he had grown accustomed to sitting on the grass without even a mat.
Wiping her sweat with her palm, Makani said,
“Haa... No matter when I come here, it's nice. Mountains really are the best.”
“You should just marry a mountain.”
＂You really need to exercise. Ah, when I make a lot of money later-”
“Here we go again.”
Makani took an apple from her bag and tossed it to Desi.
Its red color sparkled in the sunlight.
The bite was so sweet, and its crispness made his mouth water.
“This time, I'm serious. I really want to go to Ragizme someday.”
Desi turned his head as he drank water.
“The Orc country?”
“Yeah. The northern mountain range in Ragizme. I heard there's a mountain there called ‘Sky-Touching Rock.’ When the sun hangs directly above that mountain, it looks as though it's connected to the sky. They say that if you climb it, it feels as though the whole world is beneath your feet.”
Her eyes sparkled.
Even as she spoke, it was as though she could see that landscape in her eyes.
Makani often wore that expression.
The face of someone whose gaze was turned toward dreams rather than reality.
That was also this friend's finest quality.
Desi shrugged.
＂I'll just live like this~＂
“Come on, Desi. Don't you have a dream?＂
Dreams.
When he was young, he had certainly thought that when he became an adult, he would do this, that he would become this kind of adult and that kind of adult.
After being pushed into adulthood like that, he had come to feel that such things were all futile.
＂I don't have anything like that.＂
As they talked about this and that, the two of them enjoyed the breeze in peace for a long while.
“Aaaah!!”
A piercing scream carried on the wind that had brought tranquility.
For that moment, it felt as though every birdsong and sound of the wind had stopped.
Desi and Makani sprang to their feet at the same time.
“You heard that just now, right?”
“Yeah... It was a woman's voice.”
Desi swiftly climbed a nearby tree.
He had barely exercised in his previous life, but the muscles he had built through fieldwork in this life left nothing lacking.
High up in the tree, Desi peered down through the branches.
A refreshing wind swept in fiercely.
The branches trembled slightly in the wind, but his heart pounded violently at what he saw.
“Damn.......”
Farther down the mountain, someone was running like mad.
It was a female employee he had seen at Kan's shop.
Her face was twisted with terror, and an Orc was chasing after her like mad.
The Orc had a large build and was covered head to toe in sweat and dust as he let out a wild cry.
He was just about to swing a mace at an ordinary, unarmed woman.
“Makani! It's an Orc! It's chasing someone!”
Startled by Desi's words, Makani ran over.
“What?! Why is an Orc? What's going on?!”
An Orc.
A being with a larger-than-average build and long fangs.
Like humans, it formed a society and had a nation. It was only different in appearance.
Yet such an Orc was chasing someone with a weapon.
“I can't explain it... An Orc is attacking the woman from Kan's shop!”
“That can't be... Is this some kind of random killing?!”
Desi jumped down from the tree and stood beside Makani.
“We... don't have weapons, and like this......”
“So we're just going to watch?”
Makani's words struck at the heart of it.
But at the same time, they were reality.
They could not simply watch.
But what were they supposed to do?
His body trembled, and his heart raced like mad.
The unwelcome intruder stung amid the peace and warmth.
Whenever his heart pounded, even his eyes throbbed.
The moment the thought, ＇I can't,＇ crossed his mind, his body moved first.
Grabbing the sickle they had used to dig up herbs, he ran.
“Desi?! Where are you going!!”
Makani's shout came from behind him, but Desi was already running.
His mind was blank, but his heart was telling him.
‘I can't stop.’
‘If I don't save that woman now...’
His breath grew ragged, and his legs grew heavier.
But he could not stop.
No, he did not stop.
Until then, he had wanted to live in the Otherworld.
Ordinarily and peacefully.
The life of a normal background passerby, Number 1.
But he had to choose.
Whether to turn away or not.
He wanted to preserve his freedom.
He wanted to live while looking forward to tomorrow.
He wanted to smell pleasant scents.
That was why this action, and the feet that carried him running, ran counter to his intention.
＇If only I hadn't seen it.......＇
Some shallow emotion that may or may not have been a sense of justice had gotten him bullied at school. Whatever the result of this choice, he wanted, at the very least, not to regret it.
The wind pushed his back.
That was how it felt.
The peaceful wind, the refreshing wind, pushed his back.
Desi ran toward the scream.
“You bastard!!!”
His clumsy swing with the sickle missed the Orc, and Desi tumbled to the side.
“Desi!”
The young woman who had been chased stopped, calling his name.
“Run! Hurry!”
Words he did not mean came out easily.
In truth, he wanted to run away with her.
But what was he supposed to do about the Orc in front of him?
The iron club smeared with red liquid looked like a flame.
‘Fuck, seriously...’
“P-Please, calm down-”
“Shut up!!”
As though he had no intention of settling this with words, the Orc swung the mace.
“Whoa!!”
Desi threw himself aside to avoid the mace, but his legs trembled and he fell limply.
＇How many times am I going to fall.......＇
“Desi!!”
Along with Makani's voice, stones flew at the Orc.
“Get away!!”
Makani shouted as she desperately threw stones, but with nothing more than a TAP-, the Orc struck by the stones glared at Makani.
The Orc's eyes flickered like heat haze above a flame.