Volume 6, Epilogue: Welcome to a Blessed Time
That creature was small and round like a stuffed animal.
He swung his short arms and legs to walk through the forest. Normally, he may not have tried to go so far away from the village, but today was different. He had heard happy-sounding voices further out, so he had walked toward them.
When he finally saw who the voices belonged to, that gray pig-faced creature jumped.
(Squeal!? Humans!!)
Humans were scary. They would sometimes throw stones at him while he walked through the forest. Everyone at the village told him they did that because they were afraid of him, not because they hated him, but it was still not a good feeling.
He suddenly realized he was pretty deep inside the forest.
He wanted to run straight back the village, but if the humans followed him, he would be telling them where the village was. That would cause trouble for everyone else. But he was still scared. While running back and forth trying to figure out what to do, a loud sound rang out. His large head had run smack into a tree trunk.
He collapsed backwards.
The sudden shock initially just confused him, but then pain began spreading through him like normal.
“S-squeal...”
Finally, large tears welled up in his eyes.
He knew he should not cry, but he could not escape the urge.
And.
Just then, someone softly pressed a finger to that small round creature’s forehead.
“It’s okay.”
He heard a gentle female voice.
“You have a small bump, but that’s all. I’ll get rid of the pain.”
Strangely, the pain really did fade away.
But he found it much odder that this presumably human person did not throw stones at him as soon as she saw him.
He was not used to being treated kindly.
The stuffed animal blinked his eyes and the girl in red armor and a white miniskirt giggled.
“See, you’re okay now. Boys shouldn’t cry.”
“Squeal...”
With a befuddled look, he swung his stubby arms and legs around and got up. He found the urge to cry had vanished. Being with this girl felt kind of nice. But that was why it scared him. What if her behavior changed and she suddenly attacked him? He might have to fight back against this kind-seeming person, and that would make him sad.
“You don’t have to be so wary. I won’t do anything to you.”
“Really? You won’t yell or hit me?”
“I swear I won’t.”
She did not seem to be lying.
So the small and round child gathered his resolve.
He decided to take just one step forward.
“Okay. Then I’ll be your friend! I can be friends with you!!”
A change came over the red-armored and white-miniskirted girl’s face when she heard that. It was strange how her eyes could look so sad even as she smiled.
A voice called toward them from the distance.
It was the humans from before.
But unlike the round gray creature, the girl did not tense her body and she casually waved back at them.
“There really isn’t anything to worry about. That’s White Witch Filinion and that’s Fighter Priest Armelina. I’ll introduce you to a lot of other people too. Hee hee hee. I’ll show you that humans aren’t that bad.”
“Squeal? By the way, what’s your name???”
And.
The girl looked back toward him while carrying a giant Shining Weapon on her back. It resembled a log or a steel beam.
That girl with distinctive red and silver hair was definitely smiling as she answered.
“I’m Holy Swordswoman Beatrice. It’s a pleasure to meet you, boy.”
Today, those girls were on their way to Ground’s Nir’s Labyrinth like usual.
She stood in that foreign world with the life he had given her.