Vol 5 Chapter 16

Upon hearing the question, all the men looked at the red-eyed man.

"...I have been there once. But... I'll think about it. I'm sorry to say this to a benefactor I've met after 10 years."

The man's face, saying he would think about it, was very dark. The bright hope from just moments ago was nowhere to be seen.

'What's going on?'

In the awkward atmosphere where only Kapros seemed excluded, the men averted their eyes and started going about their own business. Kapros went outside to survey the surroundings and approached the fence set up around the cave.

'It doesn't seem like animals live here either, so why did they put this up?'

"D-don't touch that carelessly. If you go beyond that, the p-path changes. We've lived here long enough to m-memorize the path, but if a novice gets lost, even we c-can't find them."

The quietest man among them, who stuttered, came closer with a warning.

"By the way, w-would you like to come fetch some water with me?"

Seeing him glance around the cave as he spoke, it seemed he had another purpose. After leading the way to the stream, leaving deep footprints, the man introduced himself as Bold and carefully opened his mouth.

"Earlier, when you s-said that if you find that Flower of Rezul here, there really might not be any more people like us, w-was that true?"

He was referring to what Kapros had said to Remil's grandmother. Kapros quietly nodded.

"I think so."

"H-how?"

The Flower of Rezul might not be related to the Superior quest Kapros was looking for. But when he heard the old legend passed down in Rezul from Rex's mother, the old woman, what he felt was the strongest premonition of a quest yet.

And from his experience so far, when a quest was solved, the phenomena caused by it usually disappeared as well.

"I can't tell you in detail, but I'm collecting certain relics left from the past. When I retrieve them, strange occurrences that had been happening until then sometimes disappear. I expect it will be the same this time."

As Kapros spoke, appropriately modifying the story about the Superior quest, Bold's expression brightened.

"I d-don't know the way. But I'll try to persuade him to tell us. It's u-unfair for all of us to be unable to leave because of one person's circumstances."

"What circumstances does that person have?"

"..."

Bold remained silent, his eyes showing he was considering whether it was alright to say more. But soon he opened his mouth.

"That... real forbidden area you heard about earlier that one sh-shouldn't enter... The Flower of Rezul is... there."

The Flower of Rezul is in the real forbidden area where the one-armed man had accidentally entered while fleeing.

So was he saying he'd think about it out of concern, since it was a place dangerous enough for people to die in a flash of light upon approaching?

'But somehow the atmosphere feels a bit...'

"That guy... because of the memory of being betrayed th-there, he hates even going near that place. But to show the w-way, we have to go there again... so he d-doesn't want to."

Memory of being betrayed?

As Kapros looked at him quizzically, Bold explained in a bit more detail.

"When that guy came here 10 years ago, he came with his best friend. That friend also d-died in the flash of light in the deep forbidden area. But actually..."

The one-armed man had been the best at mining shining stones in Rezul at the time. Bold's story was that his friend, jealous of his skills and happy life, had encouraged him to make deals with bad people.

"If he goes back, he'll have to see that friend's corpse again, so he must be scared."

Even though 10 years had passed, the corpse would still be there as it was.

Kapros's mind became a bit complicated after hearing a story different from what he had thought. He hesitated, then nodded.

"Thank you for telling me."

Bold smiled awkwardly, pursing his lips with effort, and then sheepishly turned over the water container that had been the pretext for coming here. However, Kapros couldn't smile back, preoccupied by the strange sense of déjà vu he had been feeling since hearing about the past.

After returning to the cave, Bold advised Kapros to sit outside and went in to persuade the one-armed man. Bold and the other men tried to convince him to go to the forbidden area right away, but the one-armed man remained silent. In that long silence, Kapros suddenly felt a familiar pain.

"Damn it! We have to get out anyway! What difference does it make whether it's now or later!"

Among the men who came out angrily at the end of the conversation, the one-armed man was not visible. He had remained alone inside the cave. Kapros observed the heated atmosphere and then entered alone.

The one-armed man, who had been looking depressed, sighed when he saw Kapros.

"Come to think of it... I don't even know your name yet."

"..."

"My name is Rex. They call me One-armed Rex."

"I'm Kapros. I already knew your name."

"How?"

"Remil told me."

The red-eyed man, Rex, looked into the distance with a longing expression without answering. In his listless eyes lacking confidence, there was no trace of the man who had once been the village's best craftsman.

"To be honest... I can't believe it's already been 10 years and my daughter has grown old enough to remember me. But I suppose I have to believe it. The world keeps turning even without me, after all."

"Do you miss your daughter?"

Rex looked at Kapros with slightly reddened eyes.

"...Of course. I miss my daughter, my mother, everyone."

"Then wouldn't it be better to tell me now?"

At those words, Rex's shoulders flinched, and he averted his gaze before asking heavily.

"What did that Bold fellow tell you earlier?"

Kapros didn't answer.

"That guy always had a loose tongue. Did he talk about my past? Did he say I was a foolish coward who was tricked by my friend?"

"No, he didn't."

Kapros denied it, but Rex didn't seem to believe him.