After the terrifying night caused by the Blight attack, many soldiers had fallen.
Their bodies were laid out neatly on the ground, with nothing covering them, exposing every wound that had caused their deaths.
The surviving comrades only took care of the bodies of those who had died, while some simply stood there in silence, staring at them.
There were no tears and no hatred.
They understood that this was the risk of becoming a soldier.
There was no hatred, only silent gazes toward the departure of their comrades.
The villagers helped the soldiers bury those who had given their lives to protect them, digging graves for the fallen soldiers.
Val stood silently, staring at the bodies of the soldiers laid out in rows.
The sight was an unexpected shock to him.
Back then, he had always viewed a fantasy world as something beautiful, but reality had shattered that image in an instant.
Yesterday, the people lying on the ground had been alive.
Now, they were dead and helpless.
The irony of the sight made Val’s perception of this world change from a fantasy world into a nightmare.
The scene of the soldiers being attacked by the Blight still lingered in his mind.
Val said nothing and simply stood there motionlessly.
He closed his eyes and let out a sigh.
Then he opened his eyes again and walked away.
Elsewhere, many injured soldiers were being treated in the open because there was not enough space to accommodate everyone.
One of them was Marc, who was lying on a thin piece of cloth so that his body would not be directly against the ground.
After being slammed into the ground by the snake-like Blight, he had suffered several broken bones, but fortunately, he could still walk.
Arturia approached Marc and examined his injuries.
“Looks like you were quite lucky.” “Yeah, I suppose I was.
So, what brings the captain of Division 13 to see me?” Arturia looked around.
“I want to talk about the man traveling with you.
His name is Val.” Arturia’s eyes were serious.
Marc knew where this conversation was going.
He slowly tried to stand up despite the difficulty.
“You don’t have to force yourself.” Arturia was still concerned about Marc’s condition.
“We should talk somewhere else.” Arturia fell silent, realizing that this conversation was going to be serious.
They moved to a place somewhat distant from the others.
“You want to ask about Val, don’t you?
What do you want to know?” “Who exactly is Val?” “I don’t know,” Marc answered briefly.
“Lady Sera and I first met Val inside the prison.” “Prison?” Marc began telling her about the first time he met Val in the prison, when Val freed him.
He then described the fear and wariness he had felt whenever he was around Val.
According to Marc, Val was a man who rarely spoke, and he had never seen Val show much emotion.
In Marc’s eyes, Val was like a dead man walking without a soul.
“Don’t you think you’re exaggerating about Val?” Arturia responded to that.
“Really?
Then let me ask you something in return.
Why did you draw your sword at him earlier?” The question made Arturia fall silent.
She still remembered how her instincts had immediately warned her of danger when she looked at Val.
“Then why are you interested in Val?” Marc was curious about Arturia’s reason for asking about him.
Arturia told him about what had happened during the attack.
She explained how strange Val had been when he stood silently watching the soldiers fight the Blight.
Although Val had done nothing, Arturia could not shake the feeling of discomfort caused by his gaze.
Even though she had tried not to think too much about it.
She also told him about the moment when the snake-like Blight had suddenly stopped and seemingly offered its head to Val.
Other soldiers had witnessed the incident, but they chose not to think too much about it.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Marc muttered.
“So do I.” “At the moment, I intend to keep an eye on him until he parts ways with Lady Sera.” Marc paused.
“Lady Sera doesn’t seem to have a problem with him.
Or perhaps she simply doesn’t feel the same discomfort around Val.” “My soldiers seem to be the same.
They don’t appear to feel anything unusual about Val, even though I’ve felt uncomfortable around him ever since he arrived in this village.” Arturia looked at Marc.
“So only the two of us feel the same discomfort around Val.
Do you think there’s something we have in common?” “I don’t know.” Marc and Arturia fell silent, thinking about why only the two of them could sense something unsettling about Val.
“I’ve felt this kind of fear before.” Arturia looked at Marc.
“It was during an expedition with my comrades.
I was the only one who survived after we were attacked by Blight.
In the middle of that forest, I encountered something I never wanted to meet.” Marc’s expression became serious.
“A Nullifer.” “You encountered a Nullifer?!
How did you survive?!” Arturia looked shocked and almost disbelieving.
“I was lucky.
The creature didn’t notice me.” “I’ve encountered a Nullifer before too, when the kingdom assigned us a mission to eliminate one after receiving evidence and testimony from witnesses who had seen it.” Arturia’s expression darkened.
“Several divisions were involved, including mine.
We were given the worst assignment.” “Which was?” “To act as bait.” Arturia remembered the past.
“I looked directly into that creature’s eyes.
I was so terrified that I thought I was going to die right there.” She looked toward Marc.
“That feeling is exactly the same as what I feel whenever I look at Val.” “Fortunately, Division 1 managed to defeat the Nullifer before I died.” Silence settled between them for a moment.
“Could Val be a Nullifer?” Arturia finally voiced the question.
“I don’t think so.
He’s human, after all.” “You’re right.
I’m thinking too far ahead.
Sorry.” “Even so, I’ll keep watching him until he separates from Lady Sera.” Marc turned and walked away, leaving Arturia behind.
Sera was sitting on the ground with her legs folded beneath her, praying with her hands clasped together and her eyes closed.
She was praying in front of someone’s grave.
There was nothing written on the stone gravestone.
Val approached Sera and silently stood behind her.
Sera noticed his presence.
She finished her prayer before standing up.
“Is there something you need?” Sera asked about the reason for Val’s arrival.
“I happened to see you while I was walking around.” “Hm.
That’s a good excuse.” Sera thought Val had been looking for her and was simply making up an excuse.
But she was wrong.
That is the truth.
Val looked toward the grave Sera had been praying at, and curiosity appeared in his eyes.
“This is my mother’s grave.
I found out after asking the villagers and telling them that I was Sera, the child who had been taken by the Lotusiana noble family.” “Do you miss her?” It was an ordinary question from Val, merely meant to make conversation.
Sera lowered her head slightly before looking toward the sky.
Her eyes were filled with sadness and deep longing.
“Yes.
I miss her very much.
If only I had been stronger back then, perhaps I could have fought against them and avoided being dragged away.” Val looked at Sera’s sorrowful face.
It was a new expression, one that Sera had never shown him before.
“If you have a family, then you probably feel the same way when you’re separated from them.” Sera looked at Val, her face clearly showing the sadness of deep longing.
“You’re right.
I was separated from mine too, and I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to see them again.” Val understood Sera’s feelings.
He, too, had been separated from his family after being transported to another world.
“I see.
Then I suppose we share the same fate.” Val placed a hand on Sera’s shoulder.
This time, Sera did not push him away.
“Letting go of someone can be difficult, but we have to keep moving forward and survive.” Val tried to comfort her.
“You’re right.” Sera smiled faintly.
Seeing Sera smile reminded Val of the soldiers who had stood silently beside the bodies of their fallen comrades earlier.
He realized that they were strong enough to face danger and the loss of someone they knew.
Val realized something.
The people of this world were strong.
Even when they faced danger, they remained steadfast when it came, despite the deep wounds it left behind.
So that’s how it is.
At first, I was afraid of danger and death, but I never realized that these people felt the same way.
Val smiled.
The smile surprised Sera because it was the first time she had seen Val express himself like that.
The people here are strong.
They’re amazing.
If they can face their fears like that, then I can face mine too.
There are many things that frighten me in this world because I know so little about it.
But I’ll face those fears just like the people of this world do.
In my own way.
“Sera, you’re not alone.” Val smiled.
His cold red eyes showed a moment of warmth.
His long hair was blown gently by the wind, making his handsome face look even more captivating.
Sera fell silent.
She was captivated.
Before this, she had never really paid attention to Val’s appearance.
But now, she suddenly realized just how handsome he was.
“Th-then…
thank you.” Her face turned bright red, and she looked away while covering it with both hands.
Val removed his hand from Sera’s shoulder before turning around and walking away.
“We should head back soon.
Arturia will be starting the evacuation journey soon.”